JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #112 - April/May 2017 - 56

SOLUTlONS lift

New composite lift aims
to revolutionize the construction industry
Singaporean company SLC focuses on composite materials to create an innovative new lift and make a breakthrough in a variety of industries and markets.

ingapore Lift Company
(SLC), a joint venture between local
property developer Far East
Organization,
construction
and civil engineering firm
Woh Hup (Private) Limited
and holding company Pronus
(HK), announced having created the "world's first composite lift".
Named "8", the new lift is made
of composite materials such as
carbon fibre-reinforced polymers (CFRP), glass fibre-reinforced polymers and bio-derived polymers.
"8 is a game-changer in its field,
having the potential to revolutionize the overall building and
construction industry", says
Alister Bennett, managing director of SLC, who explains
that 8 substantially reduces the
time, labour and amount of
construction materials needed
in lift installation. Its cabin is a
mere 150 kg, as compared to a
traditional lift of about 1,500
kg for the same capacity.

Lighter and
easier installation
With 8, the cabin space has
been considerably enlarged to
enable it to take a larger load,
due to maximization of the
shaft size and minimization of
the overhead and pit. More importantly, the potential overall
savings to be achieved through
enhanced productivity in construction and faster installation times allow for better materials to be used and a safety
system to be incorporated into
the lifts without pushing up
the entire construction and
building costs. 8 is certified to
EN81-41 and EN81-20:50 by
Liftinstituut, one of Europe's
certification organizations for
lift and escalator safety.
8 has three types of applications - as a disabled, home
or passenger lift - using three
different drive options, V-belt,
rigid chain or hydraulic. With
a minimum 1,400 mm turning
diameter, the lift is designed
to enable a sufficient turning
radius for wheelchairs. Energy
efficient with remote monitoring, 8 is initially available for
installation in low-rise buildings, which will eventually be
extended to serve up to 20
floors.

jec composites magazine / No112 April - May 2017

The world's first composite lift

Hub in Singapore
"We see great potential for our
product in the building and
construction industry as well as
the retrofitting industry", says
Alister Bennett, who was confounded when he discovered
the astronomical costs involved in replacing escalators
in London's underground system. This inspired him to conceptualize an escalator truss
made of lightweight materials
that could be flat-packed for
easy transportation and installation.
Alister Bennett's "eureka" moment to use composite materials due to their relative light-

ness, stiffness and strength led
to his design and engineering
of the 8 composite lift. He
aims to establish a composite
engineering hub in Singapore
that will eventually provide
solutions to a variety of industries and markets.
It is not the first time that
the lift industry innovates
with composite materials.
For example, Finnish elevator
manufacturer Kone created
UltraRope, a cable made with
carbon fibre and a polyurethane coating to solve height
and weight problems.
More information:
www.slc.sg

http://www.slc.sg

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #112 - April/May 2017